


Shovel Talk

by CloakedSparrow



Series: Collected Bat-Family Stories [3]
Category: Bat Family (DCU), Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Adopted Children, Batdad, Coming Out, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Homosexuality, M/M, No Romance, No Sex, No Smut, Protective Bruce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-05 20:55:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11021430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloakedSparrow/pseuds/CloakedSparrow
Summary: When Dick comes out to Bruce as a teenager, Bruce doesn't expect it change anything. Then a boy arrives at the manor looking for Dick and he realizes, it does.





	Shovel Talk

When Dick was eight, he came to live with Bruce. When Dick was nine, Robin joined Batman. Regardless of the persona, Dick loved Bruce and considered him his father. Regardless of the persona, Bruce loved Dick and considered him his son, but he had a hard time expressing that. 

Sometimes, he had to try anyway. Such as the time when Dick was fifteen and he told Bruce he was gay. 

As always, Bruce preferred not to look too deeply into the father-son aspect of their relationship because that was complicated and left too much opportunity for weakness. He preferred the partnership they had as Batman and Robin because it was simple, clean, easy. But _Dick_ came out to _Bruce_ , not _Robin_ to _Batman_. So Bruce awkwardly assured his adopted son that his sexuality changed nothing between them and hoped to leave it at that.

Except that a few months later, there was a teenage boy Bruce had never met, waiting in the foyer for Dick and Bruce realized this was Dick’s first date. He couldn’t quite explain the feeling that came over him as he introduced himself, and he’d always made a point to keep a definite line between Bruce Wayne and Batman before, but that was definitely his Batman tone he heard as he was telling the boy exactly when he’d have Dick home and precisely what he was _not going_ to try to do on the date. There must have been something in his face that backed up that voice, because the kid looked petrified as he nodded and said ‘yes sir’ a little too quickly.

Bruce told him not to mention their little chat to Dick and told Dick to have a good time when he paused by his adoptive father to say bye.  
Dick looked happy when he came home (half an hour before his curfew) even if he said the date didn’t go too well and he wouldn't be going out with that boy again.

After that, Bruce would find an excuse to send Dick away (to get his coat or see Alfred about something) and have the same chat with each one of Dick’s dates. They never said anything about it to Dick, but he figured it out quickly enough. He found the whole thing hilarious, as did Alfred when they talked about it. Bruce was comfortable letting Dick fight common criminals, gangs, the mafia, costumed psychos, mercenaries and the occasional cult, but he was worried that his son couldn't handle an inappropriate date? _Hilarious_. Even still, he appreciated that Bruce was trying to protect him.

Dick always had his dates pick him up at the manor, even if he knew it greatly diminished his chance at a second date. It weeded out the jerks and wimps, and reminded Dick that his adoptive father loves him in his own way.


End file.
